Like Father, Like Son
by Mono D. Duo
Summary: Joxter comes back into town after over two decades of being away and the first thing he decides to do is pick up some young, pretty thing at a club. He meets Snufkin, another mumrik, and it isn't long before the they go back to Snufkin's place for the night. They realise that they have a lot in common and decide to continue their relationship beyond a one-night-stand. Joxkin.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Joxter, a mumrik who just turned forty-three, sauntered into the loud, bouncing, neon-lit club where the floor itself vibrated with the confidence of a man half his age. And why shouldn't he? He had a chiselled jawline that could cut glass, his hair settled lush on his shoulders and had a body any woman would kill to climb on. He knew he had it too and wore tight, form-fitting clothes to show it off. He didn't even need the heels on his shoes to make himself look taller, he just liked how they went with his black skinny jeans and dark-red t-shirt.

He ran a furred hand through his slicked, black hair and approached the bar and smiled slyly at the young woman there, ordering three shots of absinthe to start the night off. He downed them one after another and slammed a tenner on the bar. He could feel the intensity of the drink hit the back of his eyes as he made his way out onto the dance floor.

At one point a young, topless, supple man began to grind against him. Joxter grinned and grinded back, too free-spirited to let only the women of the world have a go at him. A few ear-pounding songs later, that young man was nowhere to be seen and Joxter needed to be far drunker than he was at the moment. He went back to the bar and managed to scoot his way to the front, right next to another mumrik, this one with auburn hair and fur, his legs and ass squeezed into skinny jeans and a belly-shirt showing off his midriff.

He saw Joxter out of the corner of his eye and blushed, his tail wandering to Joxter's hip. Joxter sent his back. His ears twitched, their tails tangled, the signs and language only visible to themselves and other mumriks who might've been watching.

"Can I get you a drink?" Joxter asked, closing the distance between them and sliding an arm around the young mumrik's waist.

"Sure." He said, leaning into Joxter's chest, clearly not the most sober person in the world. Then again, neither was Joxter. "But only if you tell me your name."

"Joxter." He smirked, the young mumrik's hair tickling his chin.

"Snufkin." Snufkin replied.

Joxter paid for their drinks, more shots, and the two engaged in a drink off. They slammed glass after glass on the bartop, each grinning at the other the way only a mumrik could. Declaring a stalemate, Joxter then pulled Snufkin onto the dance floor. Snufkin's rear grinded against his groin as the alcohol began to impact both of them. Joxter didn't exactly remember how, but he had Snufkin pinned against a wall, the music still blaring behind him and his tongue down the other mumrik's throat. Snufkin wrapped his arms around Joxter's neck and pulled him close, his soft, furred hands threading through Joxter's locks.

"Joxter?" Snufkin said, pulling away for air.

"Yeah?" He replied, finding it hard to make himself heard over the music. He dipped the tips of his fingers into the waistband of Snufkin's jeans, not enough space in them for him to grope the other.

Snufkin didn't say anything more, he just pulled a small, square packet out of his pocket. Joxter took the hint and grinned, latching his mouth onto Snufkin's neck and sucking until he left his mark, red and sore.

"Of course." He whispered into Snufkin's ear, taking the condom and slipping it into his own pocket. Snufkin looked flustered as he and Joxter left the club, their ears ringing.

"I…I live close!" Snufkin blared, slurring his words. He led Joxter by the hand, nearly tripping and falling multiple times.

"C'mere!" Joxter said, scooping Snufkin into his arms. "Just tell me where."

Snufkin managed to give slurred and confusing directions to his apartment building, but eventually they found the one where his key card worked. Joxter eventually managed to get the number from Snufkin, who was now in the extremely giddy stage of intoxication. So was Joxter, and they laughed when they tried many wrong doors before eventually stumbling into Snufkin's apartment.

Joxter nudged the door shut and pulled Snufkin into another kiss, their tongues slobbering on each other, their hips grinding and their tails intertwining. Joxter fumbled with the button of Snufkin's jeans, managing to get his fly open, his cock springing out. Snufkin pulled away and buried his face in Joxter's neck, mewling as the older man stroked him.

Joxter got to his knees and pulled Snufkin's clothes down to his ankles, pulled off his shoes and the rest along with them as Snufkin lifted his top over his head. Joxter bit his lip, the young mumrik's body looking like the things you'd read about in dirty books.

"You're not at all shy." Joxter stated, standing and pulling his own shirt over his head.

"No." Snufkin giggled, running his hands over Joxter's chest. "Still have the rubber?" He asked, circling one of the older mumrik's nipples.

"Course!" Joxter replied, pulling it out of his pocket. They stumbled into Snufkin's room and onto his bed, Joxter losing his pants in the process. Lording over the young mumrik, Joxter let his hands roam all over him, fondling his flat, hairless chest, rounding around to his soft, plump ass-cheeks and tracing the outline of his wetting hole with an extending claw.

"You lookin' forward to this, kitten?" Joxter asked, nuzzling into Snufkin's neck as he pushed his furry feet to his shoulders.

"Meow!" Snufkin purred, imitating a cat scratching the air. Joxter bellowed out a laugh, catching Snufkin's lips with his again.

Snufkin held his legs in that revealing position as Joxter slid the rubber onto his swollen member, the delectable sight of Snufkin's waiting hole urging him to be quick about it. When he was done, he felt the soft insides of Snufkin's thighs, cupped his hairless balls and stroked his member a bit more before pushing two of his fingers into his slickened entrance.

Snufkin moaned and arched his back, trying to push his body onto the intrusion. Joxter went slowly, teasing him and raking his fingers slowly across Snufkin's sweet spot.

"J-J-Jox-Joxter! Joxter!" Snufkin moaned as he was stretched, his body trembling and his hole leaking slick.

Joxter chuckled at the young mumrik's plight, deciding to put him out of his misery and lining his cock up with Snufkin's eager entrance. As he pushed in, Snufkin gasped and twitched, his tail wrapping around Joxter's leg. He delved further and further into that hot, wet tightness, barely able to keep himself from plunging in and out until the man underneath him would be unable to walk for weeks. He liked to tease though, so he only slowly filled Snufkin to the hilt, his balls tapping lightly against his ass.

"F-faster!" Snufkin demanded, wiggling and trying to take control of the tempo. Joxter didn't let him, keeping his now clawed paws tightly on Snufkin's hips, not letting him go anywhere.

In and out, slow and steady, Snufkin was growing more and more frustrated with every passing second but Joxter didn't stop, not until he felt like it. Suddenly and without much warning, the older mumrik barrelled into Snufkin, their bodies clapping together, making the younger moan, grunt and groan.

The apartment was filled with the sound of Joxter's hips slapping into Snufkin, the springs of the bed under them and the ecstatic moans of Snufkin as Joxter filled him again and again.

"Joxter!" Snufkin yelled, his voice filled with longing, the older mumrik hitting everything that made his whole body turn to jelly. His claws tore into his sheets as Joxter hoisted his lower half higher into the air so he could thrust down into Snufkin, hitting all those wonderful spots inside him with an intense ferocity that made him drool!

"Fuck!" Joxter grunted through grit fangs, his thrusting intensifying to the point that Snufkin was mumbling and gurgling sweet nothings at him. The coils in their guts intensified, edging ever closer to an explosion of euphoria. Snufkin's snapped first, he moaned aloud and came threads of white onto his stomach and chest. Joxter followed quickly after him with a deep growl, filling the condom with his seed.

They lay there for a while, unmoving and panting with Snufkin's ankles next to his head. Slowly, Joxter pulled out, leaving Snufkin feeling very empty. The older mumrik knotted the rubber, tossed it aside and used the closest piece of clothing to wipe his cock clean. He turned back to Snufkin, whose face was flushed and whose eyes were lidded.

"Wanna go to sleep, kitten?" He asked, brushing Snufkin's hair behind his ear.

"No!" Snufkin declared, his eyes widening. He tried to roll out of the bed and start into a run but his legs were too wobbly to support his weight. He would've fallen if Joxter hadn't leapt across the bed and caught him.

"Haha, you are drunk!" Snufkin chuckled, looking up at Joxter.

"Not as much as you." Joxter replied, pulling the younger into the bed.

"I'm hungry…" Snufkin yawned, leaning his head against Joxter's chest as he pulled the covers over them, snuggling around him.

"You can eat in the morning." Joxter said, a hand traveling down to rest on one of Snufkin's ass cheeks. He didn't seem to mind. They fell asleep not long after, a tangle of limbs and tails.

The following morning, Joxter woke up first, his head aching slightly but far from the worst he ever had. He smiled when he felt a warm weight on top of him, someone with soft, furred hands and feet, a tail lolling around under the covers and a streak of fur going down his back. He moved both hands to cup at the other mumrik's rear, his tail curling around Joxter's arm, the feel of the plump, warm cheeks making his morning wood even more stiff.

Snufkin's eyes fluttered open. It took him a moment to remember why someone he didn't know was in his bed but a dull ache in his lower region answered that question fairly fast.

"Good morning!" Joxter said, his hard cock poking Snufkin's thigh.

Snufkin winced, his head pounding like a jackhammer. He felt like death and wanted nothing more than to lay there with Joxter in perpetuity, his musk and heat making Snufkin feel as if he were cocooned in blankets made of the smell of freshly baked cookies.

He nuzzled into Joxter's neck, tightening his tail around the other's forearm. "Morning." He mumbled.

"It's always nice waking up to a cuddler." Joxter whispered, one of his fingers tracing the edge of Snufkin's sore hole.

"Mm." Snufkin moaned, arching his back, the feeling of being nearly penetrated taking his mind off his imploding skull.

"Want me to go on?" Joxter asked with a sly grin, breaching the ring of muscle just a little bit.

"Mm!" Snufkin moaned, trying to use his tail to force Joxter to go deeper.

"Alright then." Joxter whispered, nibbling on the shell of Snufkin's ear.

The younger mumrik leaked as his insides were massaged, his cock coming to life. Joxter took his time, burying his fingers inside Snufkin at a maddeningly slow pace, but once he found that spot that made the man on top of him tremble, he bore down on it relentlessly, forcing Snufkin to hump and buck against his hip.

He felt Snufkin cum on him after only a few minutes of playing with his ass. The younger mumrik rolled onto his side, his head ringing like a bell.

"You okay?" Joxter asked, feeling Snufkin's head with the back of his hand.

"Just hungover." Snufkin yawned, sitting up. "You want breakfast?"

"If it's going." Joxter replied, ignoring his wood for now.

Snufkin pulled on a dressing gown on his way to the kitchen, Joxter doing no such thing. The smell of bacon and toast filled the small apartment before long, along with the sound of the kettle boiling.

"Nice place you got here." Joxter said as Snufkin sat at the table, two plates in his hands.

"Hmph, no it's not." Snufkin scoffed. "Place is damn near falling apart."

"I noticed." Joxter laughed. "Thought it'd be impolite to point it out." He winked.

"What about you?" Snufkin asked, popping two white pills into his mouth and swallowing them with a gulp of water. "You live close by?"

"Nope." Joxter answered, piling some egg, beans, toast and grilled tomato onto his fork. "Just passing through. Though I did live here for college, but left about twenty-two, twenty-three years ago."

Snufkin chuckled. "You must really be old then, I was only just born by the time you got out of here."

Joxter smiled as he chewed his mouthful of food. "But this old man still has a lot of kick about him and can still make you young whippersnappers beg for more."

"Uh, I was not begging, thank you very much." Snufkin protested, piling his beans onto his toast.

"Really?" Joxter said, feigning bewilderment. "Then it must've been a stray cat who yelled out "Joxter! Please Joxter! Go deeper!" last night." He quirked an eyebrow at Snufkin, whose cheeks flushed pink.

"Whatever." He mumbled, hiding a small smirk behind a forkful of food.

"So, what're you doing with yourself?" Joxter asked, standing and going to the kettle.

"Graphic design." Snufkin said, admiring the view of Joxter's behind. "Just got out of university."

"No kidding." Joxter said, fetching two cups from the cupboard. "How do you take yours?" He asked, plopping two teabags into the cups.

"Black with one sugar." Snufkin answered, turning his head away and pretending he hadn't just been ogling the older man.

"A man of fine taste." Joxter said, making his the very same way. "But yeah, I did architecture just out of university, moved to where the business was after that."

"A man after my own heart." Snufkin said, taking a sip of the tea Joxter put in front of him. "I plan on moving as far from here as possible as soon as I get enough money saved up."

"Oh yeah? How come?" Joxter asked, leaning towards the middle of the small table they sat at.

Snufkin shrugged. "I guess I always just felt boxed in here, I've always wanted to travel, go see other countries, meet new people, ya know, lead an interesting life."

"I can drink to that." Joxter raised his mug and Snufkin tapped it with his own.

"So, you gonna be in town for long?" Snufkin asked after a moment of comfortable silence.

"Hmm…" Joxter thought for a moment. "I dunno, depends really. I have a few people I'd like to see again, friends from a lifetime ago, an old flame from back in the day. Question is, do they wanna see me."

"I'm sure they would." Snufkin said, placing his hand on top of Joxters. "And if you don't have somewhere to stay, I wouldn't mind you…warming my bed." He blushed.

Joxter chuckled. "I wouldn't mind that at all." He intertwined his fingers with Snufkin's, leaned in and caught his lips with his. They were sweet from the tea but still tasted of beans and butter.

"You know," Joxter said, running his hands through Snufkin's hair. "I'm still hard as a rock under the table." Stunned for a second, Snufkin sniggered to himself. "Is my plight funny to you?" Joxter asked, tugging at Snufkin's ear.

"Very." He replied, pushing the seat back and slipping under the table.

Joxter bit his lip when he felt Snufkin's warm hands grasp the shaft of his cock. His foreskin was pulled back and he felt hot breaths on the sensitive tip. With a sigh, he rested his head in his folded arms, his cock sliding down the back of Snufkin's throat. Like Joxter, Snufkin wanted to take his time and taunt the older mumrik by pulling away from his member and running his tongue teasingly along the shaft.

Snufkin ran his teeth lengthwise along it, threatening to bite with his sharp fangs before sliding the head into his mouth again, sucking and bobbing on Joxter's pulsing member until the older mumrik felt his entire body clench, his toes curled and he groaned from above the table. Snufkin felt Joxter's cum shoot down his throat and bloat his cheeks. He swallowed it in one gulp and re-joined him at the table.

"Better?" Snufkin asked, massaging Joxter's head, which was still buried in his arms.

"Mm." He replied, too dazed to look up.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

* * *

Snufkin hummed to himself, looking down at his phone as his scarf fluttered in the wind. He'd been looking forward to this particular night all week; his and Joxter's first date. While the older mumrik had been sleeping in his bed most nights since they met each other in the club, they saw little of each other outside of breakfast and just before bed every other night. Of course, they made the time they did spend together count, Snufkin's lower half threatened to quiver at the thought of what Joxter did to him on those nights. He put that out of his mind for now though, he wanted to focus on getting to know this man outside of his prowess in bed, but Snufkin would be damned if that wasn't something Joxter excelled at.

Joxter had put forward this notion of a "proper date" after walking into Snufkin's tiny apartment barely a half-hour before midnight, his tail lagging behind him and his pointed, fur-tipped ears dropped. His resume had been impressive enough for him to get a job at a local architectural firm on a very temporary basis, but it paid as well as he could expect from such a quick and desperate vetting process. Joxter had moaned to Snufkin about how no one else there was more than three years out of university and hadn't the foggiest clue as to how to draw two parallel lines. That was an exaggeration of course, but Joxter's frustration was not. He took pride in his work and refused to leave the firm, which was located in a studio above a woman's gym, until he managed to get a proper day's work done. He'd found himself shilled into the roles of secretary, treasurer and a run-of-the-mill designer within a few days. The way Snufkin heard it was that the others there weren't cruelly doing this to the older mumrik, but that Joxter took the burdens onto himself to stop the whole thing from imploding.

It would be more endearing if it didn't keep the man from his company so much. Still, Snufkin couldn't help but admire his work ethic, and he had the stamina for it for sure.

Now it was Friday though, and Joxter had refused to stay at the firm any later than six. He wanted to, in his own words, "get all posh and whatnot" for the occasion. How he did that without going to the apartment first was beyond Snufkin but who was he to question the grooming habits of an old mumrik?

Snufkin put in the effort to look nice himself, the end result being that he combed his hair, put on his "special-occasion" cologne, ironed one of his three nice shirts and threw on his green beret as a last minute decision as he walked out the door. It was all contrasted by the thick, woollen, purple scarf wrapped around his neck. A gift from his mother for the chillier months.

"Don't know what's so interesting on that screen that it'd make you look away from this." Snufkin's thought process was thrown awry by the sultry voice of Joxter, who had pushed his phone down from his face with a single, clawed finger. Had the sight and scent of Joxter not suddenly enveloped him with a sudden burst of downwind gale, he may have worried about a scratch on his phone's screen. His cheeks flushed a light pink at the sight of the older man. He cleaned up immensely well for the occasion, his heeled shoes, black pants and dark blue shirt complementing his striking blue eyes. And the smell! Snufkin wasn't sure what it was, but whatever Joxter was wearing made him want to drop everything and hide himself away in the man's neck. He had more dignity than that though and remained calm, slipping his phone into his pocket as he was offered an arm.

"Evening." Snufkin smiled, staying close to Joxter as they strolled down the warmly lit street, maples topped with red and orange leaved sprouting every few feet of the pavement. "You tidy up well."

"I know." Joxter smirked, his hand trailing down Snufkin's forearm until their fingers intertwined. "You're fairly dashing yourself."

"I know." Snufkin retorted, putting on his best impression of his companion's more gruff voice. Joxter chuckled at being mimicked, running his thumb up and down Snufkin's. "So do you have a destination in mind, or are we going to meander about the streets until adventure comes and snatches us away from outside the post office?"

"I have a place in mind." Joxter reassured Snufkin with a smile and a coy wink, pulling him closer as a cyclist whistled by. "Haven't been there in over two decades so it might actually not even be there." He said, more to himself than Snufkin. "We'll see when we get there I suppose."

"You know I've lived here like, my entire life, right? You could just ask me." Snufkin said, swinging his and Joxter's joined hands back and forth.

"But that would ruin the surprise, my dear Snufkin!" Joxter retorted, his voice sounding like a magician who was just asked to reveal how he did an elaborate trick.

"Oh alright then." Snufkin relented, hoping that whatever Joxter had in mind came to fruition. But even if it didn't, as long as they spent the evening together, he'd be satisfied.

They turned a few familiar corners, crossed a few streets Snufkin had memorised by age nine, went through a park he'd muddied himself in countless times, and they were there.

"Little Sicily's!" Snufkin declared when the restaurant came into view. "Is that-" His question was cut off by Joxter's grin.

"Yes it is!" The older mumrik said, even more excited than his younger counterpart. "This place was my favourite when I lived here. Any night out with my friends always ended up here, though I actually can't remember many of those nights." He sheepishly chuckled to himself. "But I do remember their garlic bread." He said, salivating slightly at the thought.

"I love their garlic bread!" Snufkin said, picking up the pace, practically dragging Joxter to the lights to cross the street. "I could gorge myself on a mountain of the stuff."

"Right!?" Joxter said, Snufkin's excitement causing his ears to perk high and his tail to wave around behind him.

With the prospect of delicious food before them, the pair of mumriks dashed across the street and straight into Little Sicily's.

Hours later, in the darkness of night, Joxter and Snufkin stumbled back into their apartment, leftovers wrapped in tin-foil in hand, both of them swaying a bit. A complementary glass of wine at dinner was more than enough to entice them to get a bottle for the table, and then another.

They tossed their leftovers onto the counter and nearly fell onto each other as they sat on the couch, their hands clutching each other as if life itself depended on it.

They said nothing, Snufkin leaning his weary head on his elder's shoulder and Joxter in turn resting his head on Snufkin's. The younger man placed a furred hand on the other's cheek, forcing his head to turn as he leaned in and pressed his lips to Joxter's. Joxter returned it, bringing his hand to rest on Snufkin's thigh.

Their tongues taking their sweet time to explore each other's mouths, the mumriks didn't move from their positions, content in just being with one another. Nothing changed until Joxter brought his hand up to palm against Snufkin's half-hard cock. The younger moaned, throwing his head back as he felt his hole moisten in anticipation.

Their hands moved, clothes shifted and like that, Snufkin was bare and on his back, his tail wrapped around Joxter's thigh as the man sat himself between his spread legs. The elder lightly raked his claws up the insides of the younger's milky smooth thighs, cupping his hairless balls and pinching the base of his firm cock. He milked Snufkin with a taunting slowness, tracing the razor thin seam that ran across his perineum until he felt his wet hole. A finger slipped in, meeting hardly any resistance at all. Snufkin mewled, throwing his head back and baring his neck. Joxter couldn't resist burying his face in Snufkin's musk, breathing him in, biting and sucking at the softest, most vulnerable spot until a purple, pained bruise and pair of tiny red dots were left where his mouth was.

"You gonna keep me waiting in suspense, old timer?" Snufkin snarked, wrapping his arms around the Joxter's neck, looking him dead in the eye. He yelped when he felt a solid, stinging slap on his right butt-cheek, something he blushed to realise made him more desperate for the older man's member to stretch him.

"In time, my dearest." Joxter cooed into Snufkin's ear, nipping at the pointed end. He teased and taunted, kneading the younger's cheeks, massaging his quivering entrance and squeezing his leaking member. He made very slow work of discarding his own clothes, still wearing his constricting pants by the time Snufkin was obscenely thrusting at him.

"We need a rubber!" Snufkin announced as Joxter suddenly thrust two fingers into him, pistoning them in and out of the desperate young man.

"We do." Joxter said as if pondering whether or not to bring a jacket with him out on an autumn day. He pulled away from Snufkin, leaving him naked and writhing in anticipation as he went into the tiny bedroom and took one from the perpetual stash of condoms kept in the third dresser drawer.

"Joxter!" Snufkin yelled, his extended claws threatening to tear the couch cushions. He shifted, getting onto all fours, his tail raised high in expectation.

"You seem eager, my dear Snufkin." Joxter chuckled, standing by the younger mumrik's prone form and running a hand over the velvety soft rear presented so readily to him. The glare that was shot at him almost made him burst out laughing. He may have done so had he not felt a small tinge of fear that his tail would be bitten off if he did. Every kitty has fangs after all.

Finally, Joxter undid his belt and pushed the last of his clothing down to his ankles and shook them off, taking his rightful position behind his waiting Snufkin. He slipped the rubber onto his throbbing member, held onto his partner's hips and slowly teased his cock into the wet hole begging for it so.

"Faster!" Snufkin moaned into the couch's arm. Another yelp as another smack seared itself into his other cheek.

"Patience is a virtue, my dear." Joxter chided, running a hand up and down the other man's spine, taking far too much joy in taunting the younger. "But-" He said, leaning forward to whisper into Snufkin's ear. "you've waited long enough, methinks." With that he snapped his hips forward, his body clapping into Snufkin's as he struck that spot deep in him that made the young mumrik groan aloud, loud enough that they knew at least one neighbour heard.

Snufkin felt his nails tear into the upholstery, barely able to keep himself quiet as Joxter relentlessly barrelled into him again and again, doing his damnedest to hit that spot inside him every time. All the teasing and taunting finally paid off when, with a particularly deep thrust, Snufkin came, shooting white onto the off-red couch as he felt his back entrance tighten and slicken even more around Joxter's covered member.

He could only bury his head in his arms as Joxter kept at it behind him, grunting and groaning as he finally approached his tipping point. His claws left marks on Snufkin's hips as he filled the rubber, biting on his lip to keep from latching onto the back of Snufkin's neck.

Panting and tired, Joxter pulled out and fell back onto the couch, lazily remembering to pull off and knot the condom.

"Oof!" He exclaimed when Snufkin threw himself against his chest, his legs barely able to move. "Tired, kitten?" He asked, threading a hand through his chestnut locks as their tails twirled together.

"Gimme five minutes." He trailed off, burying his face in Joxter's neck and wrapping his arms around his chest.

"I'll make it ten, dearest." Joxter said with a light chuckle, looking down on his partner, unable to stop smiling. His mouth, his nose, his hair, his scent; it all threw Joxter back to a time when things were simpler, the world was less scary and he felt confident with his path in life.

The older mumrik pulled the throw from the back of the couch and draped it over himself and Snufkin.

"Good night, Snufkin." Joxter whispered, holding the younger mumrik close, losing himself in his sweet scent.

"Good night, Joxter." Snufkin said with a barely repressed yawn. "See you in the morning."

But Snufkin didn't see Joxter in the morning. He woke with a stretch to find himself tucked into his bed alone, a note underneath his phone atop the chest of drawers.

"_Called into work, clients suddenly want to check how things are going. Pray for me if that's your thing, we could use all the help we can get._

_I'll try to get off early and bring dinner back with me, sorry for leaving you cold this morning, I had planned to make it so you wouldn't be able to even stand but alas you shall need to wait until after dark._

_Enjoy your Saturday, dearest._

_Joxter."_

He signed the little note with a flourish.

Snufkin sighed and fell back onto his pillow. He was disappointed not to be spending the morning with Joxter, of course, but he knew the man had to work, he needed his space even if he didn't have the heart to tell Snufkin as such.

He read the note a few more times, his heart fluttering every time he read the word "_dearest_". He never knew a single word could have such an effect on him, yet, there were a lot of things that Joxter did that he never thought would have such an effect on him.

When Snufkin had approached the older mumrik that night, intending to get mounted, he expected to save his number, maybe call him a few times to replay their first night, and that would be that. Yet here he was, almost three weeks later and he was giddy when that very same man called him "dearest". He never intended for something done so fleetingly to have such an impact on him, his bed that was once perfectly sized now felt massive when he was in it by himself.

Later that evening, Joxter stumbled out of his workplace, his shoulders light with how unexpectedly well the meeting had gone. He had prepared for such an event of course, having made up models and put together a slide show to show just how far they'd come. His grateful co-workers had offered to take him out for the night and get drunk in celebration of their success. He declined, fancying a quiet evening of dinner with Snufkin, reading with Snufkin and, ultimately, bedding his Snufkin to within an inch of his life.

He was about to turn a corner to go to a nearby chipper to make good on his promise to bring dinner home when someone called for him.

"Joxter?" A woman's voice called out, taking the mumrik out of his reverie. He looked around, his tail straightening, his ears twitching in every direction. She was waving at him, a wide-eyed smile plastered on her broad, red-cheeked face.

"M-Mymble!" Joxter stuttered, standing stock-still as the voluptuous, thick-set woman approached him, her red hair tied up into a ponytail, glittering jewels hanging from her ears and her bust just as alluring as Joxter remembered it being over two decades ago.

"So you finally came back into town, kitty-cat." She said, grinning down at him with her arms folded. From this distance he could smell her perfume; it smelled of citrus with hints and undertones of an orchard or oak.

"Thought it was time. Twenty-two years is long enough to let the place marinate, methinks." He said, drawing his own arms into a fold. "I've seen much of everything else, may as well make my way round again."

"Yes." Mymble said, her eyes darting to look at the ground. That piqued Joxter's interest immensely. The Mymble he knew from long ago was never one to avert her gaze so easily, not so ready to cover her fangs in conversation.

"How are your girls doing?" Joxter asked, wanting to keep the conversation afloat. Even after meeting so many people in his time since knowing Mymble, she was still one of the most fascinating and exotic characters he'd ever known. Naturally, he was intrigued by her and how hers had turned out.

"They're, they're very good." She smiled, her arms falling, her hands clasped in front of her. "It's not just "girls" anymore, actually. I have a son too."

"A son?" Joxter asked, briefly wondering who could've sired a boy from a mymlan. "That's not like you, nor your mother, aunts or sisters." He chuckled, stepping a bit closer to her. "He must be quite the fascinating person."

"He is, he has his…ways." Mymble said, her smile faltering for the briefest of instants. "He's very much comfortable in his own company, fancies a life away from here, away from the nest."

"Well that's not very much like a mymlan, now is it?" Joxter asked, his head quirked to the side. "He almost sounds like a mumrik."

"Yes…" Mymble said, looking off to the side, her smile gone. "He's very much like a mumrik." Her eyes met Joxter's. "Very much."

Her look unnerved Joxter, something that was quite hard to do most days. There were words unspoken, ones she wanted to say but hadn't the will to put out there.

"Is…" Joxter trailed, hoping the question he was about to ask was the right one, that he had understood Mymble's look, her hesitation, her explanation. "Is he a mumrik?"

Mymble breathed in, her eyes closed, her shoulders loose in a way that told Joxter he just saved her needing to explain something long and complicated. It did nothing for the sour feeling festering in his stomach.

"Yes, half, of course. Having inherited the tail, the ears, the fur, though he's not quite as hairy as you I must say." She sucked her lips in. "I think you should meet him."

"Mymble-" Joxter started, his train of thought hurtling somewhere he didn't want it to.

"You have questions, I am sure of that, but I can't answer them now. Please, Joxter." She stared right into his eyes. There was fear there, something he never thought he'd ever see in _her _eyes. Trepidation, hesitation, reluctance, sure, but not fear. Fear was so…un-mymlan.

"I haven't moved, in all this time." She said, reaching into her handbag, which had been swaying from her elbow. "This is the address, in case you've forgotten." She scribbled onto an unused napkin and handed it to Joxter. "Does Thursday work for you? I'll prepare dinner."

Joxter stared at the napkin, noticing how pretty Mymble's handwriting had stayed all these years. He wanted to look her in the eye again, maybe see a sly cunning that would tell him this was all an elaborate joke, a penance for his multi-decade absence. But she had shown fear. Fear for what? His reaction? His ire? He didn't have much of that, and any he did have had never been witnessed by her. Perhaps she feared her – their – son's reaction? Mymlans were social, they liked to stay in large groups and have large circles. Mumriks did not, they preferred fewer, more intimate relationships, they liked to share their finite time with only a precious few and that was that. Those two sociologies mixed together into one person must've been quite the headache. Perhaps she had been questioned of his own whereabouts for years, never able to give an answer because she never knew, never reached out. That was so Mymble. Like her kin, she never thought she needed her children's sires' help.

But then, very few mymlans ever needed to raise a son.

"I'll be there at seven."

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**Thanks for reading, please leave a review telling me how you felt, whether or not you like Snufkin and Joxter's relationship, how you think they're gonna react when they meet "for the first time".**


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